Death by natural causes
Death by natural causes is often added to death records as the cause of a person's death. Death from natural causes might be a heart attack, stroke, cancer, infection, or any other illness.
By contrast, death caused by active intervention is known as unnatural death. The "unnatural" causes are usually given as accident (implying no unreasonable voluntary risk), misadventure (accident following a willful and dangerous risk, which can include drug or alcohol overdose), suicide, or homicide.[1] In some settings, other categories may be added. For example, a prison may track the deaths of inmates caused by acute intoxication separately.[2] Additionally, a cause of death can be recorded as "undetermined".[3]
References
- ↑ Bryant, Clifton D. (2003). Handbook of death & dying. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. pp. 968. ISBN 0-7619-2514-7.
- ↑ Stark, Martha (2000). A physician's guide to clinical forensic medicine. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. p. 225. ISBN 0-89603-742-8.
- ↑ Palmer, Brian (21 December 2009). What, Exactly, Are "Natural Causes"?. Slate.com. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2009/12/what_exactly_are_natural_causes.html.